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Part IV of our Alaska Adventure Begins


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#1 ckent323

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Posted 22 September 2021 - 11:52 PM

We departed Solvang for Alaska on August 2.   We are on day 52 and have completed three parts of our four part Alaska adventure.

Part I was our ferry journey to Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka, Gustavus and Whittier.  We experienced some rain but mostly had good weather.

Part II was our travels with our trucks and campers from Whittier to Palmer to McCarthy, to Valdez and back to Anchorage.  We had mostly good weather.

Part III Was our round trip travels via our railroad track inspection car on the Alaska Railroad.  We travelled over 960 miles of track in 16 days staying in Talkeetna, Denali Park, Fairbanks, Wasilla, Girdwood and Seward.  We had more good weather for the most part.  We arrived back in Anchorage on Sunday after a beautiful, relatively warm, clear and sunny day travelling from Seward.  (we did experience heavy fog and cold temperatures around Kenai Lake).
 

We picked up our truck from the shop on Monday after having an exhaust leak at the turbo fixed during our 16 day railcar trip.

Tuesday we got our covid tests that are required for crossing into Canada. (that was an adventure in itself!)

Tomorrow part IV begains as we start our journey home.
 

Our present plan, depending on weather, is to depart Anchorage tomorrow morning, Thursday, for Tok and spend the night in Tok crossing into the Yukon on Friday morning.  Our planned route home, weather permitting, is the Alcan highway to Prince George then cross over to Jasper and Banff and down through Glacier National Park.  Alternatively we would drive to the lower 48 via Cache Creek and cross over at Abbotsford (as we did in 2018).

Anchorage is seeing an early winter (which may be a fake out).  It snowed down to the edge of the city Monday night.  The higher parts of the highway between Palmer and Beaver Creek had a few inches of snow accumulation on the highway which is melting off today.  We will see light snow in Tok Thursday night and perhaps in Haines Junction on Friday night.  We should be getting into warmer temps and light rain part sun by the time we reach Watson Lake on Saturday.    We are trying to hold the distance to around 300 miles a day to minimize driver fatigue and to maximize the chance to enjoy the beauty along the way.  If weather (and the Canadian Government) allows we may layy over a day or two on the way home.

We still do not know how the Canadian border crossing is going to go (we do not have our covid test reults yet) and if we will be forced to drive more than 300 miles a day because of a limiytt on the amount of time allowed to transit Canada (I hope not).

This afternoon the truck is back in the shop because one of the new wheel bearings has an issue.  (most surprising as there is only about 2,000 miles on the bearing).z

Edit:  Turns out the low frequency rumbling which led to evaluating the wheel bearings is actually coming from a broken transmission mount (there are two and the passenger side mount is proken).  The situation is not a safety issue but is an easy fix if the shop can find or make a part.  We will attempt to get it fixed first thing in the morning.  If that fails we depart anchorage with a boken transmission mount.

We will adapt and endeavor to enjoy the journey.  

P.S. I have talked to a number of long time Anchorage residents the past two days and none can recall a snow this early in many, many years.   All think it is too early for winter and expect temperatures to warm up before winter actually sets in closer to the end of October (which is when they said winter typically sets in).


Edited by ckent323, 23 September 2021 - 06:12 AM.

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#2 goinoregon

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Posted 23 September 2021 - 02:29 AM

i visited mccarthy years ago, when 3 of us went fishing on the gulkana, and a few other places. my bud said we had to go to mcarthy, and i complained on the drive about how long it was going to take, etc. etc.   boy, was i wrong. the place was amazing, and the views of the glaciers were incredible.  we hiked up the trail a bit from the national forest lodge..  i wish we could have stayed a couple days for more exploring. 

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#3 Mighty Dodge Ram

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Posted 23 September 2021 - 02:35 PM

An amazing trip, thanks for bringing us along!


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#4 Casa Escarlata Robles Too

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Posted 23 September 2021 - 07:17 PM

Thanks Craig for the update.

Happy to hear things are going smoothly.

 

Have a safe and fun journey home.

 

Frank


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#5 ckent323

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Posted 24 September 2021 - 03:29 AM

We got ourr truck into the shop for a new transmission mount at 8 Am this morning. Sean at Diamond Truck Repair in Anchorage got us out of there by 9:20 Am.  After filling uop our propane tank and topping off the truck with fuel we headed back to the hotel on the north side of Anchorage to meet oup with our travelling companions.  

Our covid tests arrived by email around 10 AM and all of us tested negative so we headed out for Tok.  We stopped by  Pinnacle Mtn Cafe near Chickaloon, AK but they don't open until Friday.  We will miss visiting with Jill, the owner.  We stopped by there twice during outr 2018 trip and not only enjoyed her lunch and pies but also enjoyed visiting with her.

Snow began falling while heading up the grade past the Matanuska Glacier viewpoint and we were in light snow all the way to Tok.  Accumulation was about an inch at the higer elevations and wehen we stopped in Glenallen to eat and fuel up it snowed about 1/2 to 1 inch in the hour or so we were there.  The snow tapered off as we entered the lee side of the Wrangle St Elias range and then it started snowing lightly again as we passed through the mountain gap on Hwy 1 past Slana.  Is was still snowing lightly in Tok when we arrived at 5:30 PM.   It is now 7:30 PM and the snow has let up.   

It appears right now that winter has come about a month early to Alaska.
 
Tomorrow morning we will head for the Canadian border crossing at Beaver Creek.  Fingers crossed that we get through.  We have already encountered wo people who could not get through for one reason or another.


Edited by ckent323, 24 September 2021 - 03:30 AM.

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#6 Casa Escarlata Robles Too

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Posted 24 September 2021 - 06:44 PM

As you head down the Alcan and get to Watson Lake will you take the Cassier route?

Thanks.

Frank


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#7 ckent323

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Posted 26 September 2021 - 04:33 AM

Frank,

 

We drove the Stewart-Cassiar highway Northbound in mid-August 2018 and took the side trip to Hyder where we enjoyed watching a young Brown Bear chase and eat Salmon at the Fish Creek observation site.  We returned via the Alcan highway in late September.  I'm glad we did because we saw lots of animals when passing through the Canadian National Parks.   We saw few animals along the Stewart-Carriar, however the scenery was great.

We have been discussing this for the past couple of days.  I think the chance of seeing woildlife ios better along the Alcon but we have to pass thorugh more cities and towns than along the Stewart-Carriar.  It is not an easy decision.

 

The decision is that we will again drive down the Alcan again, this is primarily because we have seen a number of places that are closed this year due to covid and the Stewart-Cassiar route even in a normal year has far fewer places to stay, refuel and eat than the Alcan. 

At Prince George we will decide if weather will allow us to go over and down through Jasper and Banff and into Glacier National Park or if we will drive to the abbotsford border crossing (in 2018 weather did not cooperate and we got out just ahead of a big snowstorn that dumped 2 feet of snow overnight).

We are presently at Johnson's Crossing, YT for the night (Saturday night) after a beautiful driving day today travelling from Haines Junction, with a 2 hour stop in Whitehorse, YT.


Edited by ckent323, 26 September 2021 - 04:44 AM.

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#8 ckent323

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Posted 26 September 2021 - 04:44 AM

We made it into Canada.

The border officer was quite nice and friendly. I handed him all our paperwork (printed out which made it easy for him). He asked the typical questions about firearms, marijuana products, alcohol and cash then waved us through. Quick and easy less than 5 or 6 minutes.
 
We are in Haines Junction, YT for the night (Friday night).
 
We drove on snow coverd highway for about 2 to 2-1/2 hours this morning when leaving Tok. There was about an inch or two on the ground in Tok and the snowfall got progressively heavier as we made our way South and up summit where the road was competely covered and there was maybe 4 - 6 inches of snow on the unpacked snow outside the tire tracks.

The weather continually improved all day after creting the unnamed pass in the vicinity of Alaska highway 5 and bythe time we reached Beaver Creek the roads were dry and we could see clearing skies ahead.   The rest of the drive to Haines Junction was beautiful.  We saw (high up on the mountain slope at a large distance) a heard of Dall Sheep on Sheep Mountain next to Kluane Lake.  The snow covered peaks of the various maountain ranges, particularly the St. Elias Mountains were stunning.

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#9 Casa Escarlata Robles Too

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Posted 26 September 2021 - 11:54 PM

Bypassing the Cassier this time of year is a good choice.

We tried in 2011,after a night at Boya Lake CG we headed

south and when we were about 150 miles south the road

had closed earlier that morning due to very bad slides.

Expected opening NA,so we backtracked to Skagweay

got passage on the AMH to Rupert then boarded the

Northern Expedition to Port Hardy and headed home from there.

 

Always something different.

Thanks for the update.

Frank


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#10 Casa Escarlata Robles Too

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Posted 27 September 2021 - 06:34 PM

Craig rereading this post and remembering stopping at

Johnsons Crossing for gas and the cinnamon buns.

What great memories.

Thanks for the ride along.

Frank


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